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Urban yoga with Jenna

Jenna Carpenter shows off some of her favorite poses.

Dancer Pose Natarajasana

-Find a point to gaze at either at eye level or on the floor. Shift your weight onto one leg.
-Inhale and bend the knee of the other leg, bringing it backwards and grab hold of the ankle or foot with the hand of the same side. Hold here and breathe into the stretch from the abdominal muscles into the quadriceps.
-Inhale and extend the arm of opposite side-body directly up from the shoulder, towards the sky. Hold here for several breaths.
-To move further, simultaneously lengthen the arm and torso up and forward while the opposite leg lengthens back and up. In the final pose the thigh becomes parallel to the floor and the torso at an angle to the floor.
-As you hold the pose, breathe into the stretch on the inhalation and relax on the exhalation, creating an equal and opposite stretch forward through the arm and backward through the leg.
-Slowly bring the torso back to center. Release the bent knee and stand in Tadasana

Toppling Tree Pose Patanvrkshasana

-As you step forward onto the foundation foot, let the back foot rise a few inches off the floor.
-Find your balance here first and check the alignment so that your supporting leg is straight, not hyper extended, the hips are square and even and the shoulder blades are rolling onto the upper back.
-Then if you have your balance here, begin to hinge forward on the top of the supporting leg, moving your body slowly towards parallel to the floor, as your leg moves towards the ceiling.
-Monitor the line of the body so that the upper body does not keep descending when the leg cannot go up any higher.

-The center of the heart should be reaching gently forward rather than pointing towards the floor.
-The energy of the pose extends back through the lifted toes and out through the crown of the head.

Handstand Pose Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Handstand pose is a challenging inversion with many benefits:

- Decompresses the spine

- Strengthens the shoulders, arms, and wrists

- Therapeatuic for headaches, as well as mild depression

- Improves sense of balance

Tiger Pose Vyaghrasana

-On your hands and knees in Table pose, inhale the right knee to the forehead, rounding the spine.
-Exhale reach the right foot up towards the ceiling, arching the spine and looking up at the ceiling.
-Inhale the forehead to knee and exhale the foot up 4-8 times.

-Exhale the knee back down to the floor into Table pose.
-Repeat on other side.